A Not So Straight Flush
by Darthanne
Summary: When Duo visits Quatre, and they join Alimah Winner in a game of strip poker, more is revealed than either of them had initially anticipated. (2+4, 3x4, 2+1)
1. One

A Not So Straight Flush

By Anne Olsen

Rating/warnings this chapter: This Fic has been rated in accordance with the approved TTFF Rating System. 

OK (Oz/Kiwi spelling/grammar etc) – PG – Sexual refs, suggestive language, angst, humour.

Pairings: 2+4, 3x4, 2+1

Author's notes: This fic is part of the 'Outlasting Time' arc, which is obviously being written way out of order. For more information and to read the other stories in the series check out the following

http://www.angelfire.com/ab7/shadesandechoes/outlastingtime.html

Summary: When Duo visits Quatre, and they join Alimah Winner in a game of strip poker, more is revealed than either of them had initially anticipated. (A sidefic/prequel to 'At Your Side'.)

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I promise to return the boys when I'm finished. 

Thanks to: Bast, Raletha and Sakura for beta reading, comments and support. And of course to Raletha's HTM for his fun smart-arse comments. ;)

Feedback to: anneo@paradise.net.nz 

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Chapter One

AC 196

"So when are you guys moving in together?" 

Quatre turned from the window, the flash of pain marring his expressive features hidden quickly under a facade of puzzlement. "What?"

"Don't play the innocent, Cat. This is me you're talking to. And we both know that whole routine is a load of crap." Nothing worked quite like the direct approach, Duo had figured before asking the question. Something was troubling his friend big time, the signs were there loud and clear. And judging from Quatre's reaction, as he suspected, that 'something' involved one Trowa Barton. "So, as I said," Duo repeated his question. "When are you guys moving in together?"

"We're not," the blond mumbled, "at least not in the foreseeable future."

__

Okay, now we're getting somewhere, Duo thought. On the surface Quatre projected his usual cheerful, if somewhat emotional persona. But since Duo's arrival at the Winner home several days previously, he'd been growing more and more distracted. Duo waited a moment for Quatre to offer more information but when he didn't, prompted him with another question. One guaranteed to produce an answer. "Tro not as good in bed as you anticipated?"

"Duo!" Quatre blushed, his cheeks turning a cute shade of pink before his mouth turned up in a smile. "The sex is great," he confirmed, his eyes glazing over wistfully. "Trowa's fantastic, umm, I mean…"

Duo laughed. "That look says it all. Okay, so if that's not the problem, what is?"

"Who says there's a problem?" Although Quatre's tone was defensive, his eyes were sad.

"You're distracted. There's something bothering you, something big, and the last time we'd talked you two had finally got it together and told each other how you felt." He shrugged. "Doesn't take a genius to work it out. Now shoot."

Collapsing with a sigh on the end of the king sized bed, Quatre rolled onto his stomach, chin resting on his hands. "I guess you're not going to leave me alone until I tell you?"

"Nope, got that right." Duo's expression softened before he reached out to place a hand on his friend's shoulder in a gesture of support. "You've always told me problems are easier to deal with if they're shared. Isn't it time you started doing that yourself?"

For a moment Quatre said nothing, but then pulled himself into a sitting position, crossing his legs under him. "When we're together, it's great, Duo, more than just great. When we make love, Trowa touches me in places I didn't know existed." Quatre rolled his eyes. The sexual implications of what he'd just said were more than an invitation for Duo to pass on those comments he could never resist. "I don't mean physically," he paused, smirking, "well that too, I hadn't realised how great it would…"

"Great sex. Okay, got that." Duo interrupted. _So that's _definitely_ not the problem._

His comment was followed by an awkward silence, in which Quatre seemed to suddenly find a need to examine in detail the intricate pattern on the duvet. Finally his friend spoke, but Duo could tell it was an effort. "I know he loves me, Duo. I can feel it in here," Quatre placed his hand over his heart in a familiar gesture, and Duo nodded his understanding. "I also know he misses me as much as I miss him when we're apart." His voice dropped to a whisper of reflected pain. "But whenever I bring up the subject of moving in together, of making our relationship more permanent, he…it scares him." Quatre sighed. "He doesn't even want to be seen with me in public."

"Aw, Cat. I'm sure that's not true." Duo waved a hand in the direction of Quatre's heart. "That space-heart of yours… How accurate is that thing anyway? I mean, c'mon, you thought Tro was dead, and he wasn't. Maybe you're wrong about this one too."

"I'm not wrong," Quatre said quietly, wrapping the edge of the duvet around his fingers until his knuckles grew white. "I wish I were, and I don't understand why, but I can't ignore it. I want to be with him. And I thought he wanted to be with me."

Duo shuffled along the bed and, placing his hand under Quatre's chin, moved his head up until their eyes met. "I'm sure he does." What the hell was wrong with Trowa, he wondered. Couldn't he see what he was doing to Quatre? "Any idiot can see you guys are both head over heels for each other."

"Maybe he's embarrassed to be seen with me?" Quatre turned his head away with an apologetic smile. "I've worked through all the possible scenarios and it's the only one which makes sense. I haven't told my family about my sexual preferences yet, and I'm not sure Trowa's told Cathy either." He sighed. "I was going to tell them, but…the only person I've felt like this about is Trowa, and…I know this sounds crazy but I think I'd love him even if he was a girl." Quatre's laugh sounded strained. "Do I want to tell my family I'm gay, when I'm not even sure myself? I'd do it for Trowa but," Quatre shrugged, his tone becoming cold in an attempt to apply logic to a situation he had no control over. "Why should I if he's not prepared to do it for me?"

"Have you asked him?" 

"What?" Quatre seemed surprised by the question and Duo rolled his eyes. 

"Have you asked Tro if he's prepared to do it for you?" Did he have to spell it out? "He's not a mind reader, Cat."

"I never thought he was," Quatre shot him a glance which would have made a lesser man cringe but Duo ignored it. "Have you asked Heero how he feels about _you_?"

Wincing at the comment, Duo swung his legs over the bed, and sat on the edge to collect his thoughts. "That was low and you know it." 

"I'm sorry," Quatre shifted to sit next to him. "I shouldn't have said it." He put his arm around Duo's waist, and turned to face him, moving closer until Duo could feel his breath caress his cheek. Cinnamon, vanilla and green apple, he decided, allowing the mixture of spice and shampoo flow over him. Quatre shifted to place a hand on his knee. "You're a good friend, Duo." He smiled, but the earlier sadness hadn't left his eyes. 

__

A good friend wouldn't be reacting this way in response to the fact you've just put your hand on my knee. 

"A good friend who still thinks you need to talk to your man." Duo headed the subject back to where it needed to go. "You guys talk, right?" He rose to his feet, and poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the bedside cabinet, using the action to put some distance between himself and Quatre without looking obvious. 

"Yes, we talk." Quatre seemed surprised at the question. "What sort of question is that?"

Rolling his eyes, Duo sauntered over to the window glass in hand, and lifted the curtain to peer outside for a moment before turning back to Quatre and continuing. "Get real, Cat. If you guys talked properly you wouldn't be in this mess." Quatre opened his mouth to protest. "And don't give me that look, or the list of excuses I know you're gonna run through."

"Okay, I won't then." Quatre pushed a stray lock of hair off his face, his eyes glazing for a moment before he spoke again. "I don't want to push it, Duo, but it's getting harder and harder to keep going like this. When I suggested the long distance scenario I'd decided that snatched moments together were better than not being with him at all. But now…" His lips turned into a guilty smile. "My sister's getting married in a few weeks, and I know I'm not going to cope. Damn it, I'm not even coping now."

"Yeah, I can understand that." 

Quatre stood, walked over to Duo, and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I had another reason for inviting you to stay." He blushed, his next words coming out in a rush. "The loneliness was getting to me, and I thought having a friend… having you here might help."

"And here I was thinking you were only interested in my good looks and witty repartee," Duo joked, but then dropped his joker's façade when he saw Quatre's reaction. "Aww, Cat, drop the guilt trip. It doesn't suit you. You needed a friend. I came. No big deal. You close to this sister?"

To his surprise Quatre shuddered. "No. Ever since I took over WE, Ghazal's been trying to convince me I'm not experienced enough for the position, and that her fiancee would be only too happy to provide his obvious expertise to make up for it." He sighed. "And lately they've gotten this brilliant idea into their heads that I need setting up with a nice girl. One with a suitable social background of course. Nothing less would do for the Winner heir." 

"Oh God, their reaction when they meet Tro is gonna be…" Duo's voice trailed off. 

"Exactly." Quatre's grin was wicked to say the least. "Part of me is looking forward to it, but…" The grin slipped. "Trowa doesn't want me to tell my family about him, so there's not much I can do about it." He shrugged. "All those couples at the wedding, and my sisters all doing their best to set me up with someone when all I want is Trowa. And he's not going to be there. He doesn't _want_ to be there. Obviously this is more important to me than it is to him." Quatre paused. "And I sound selfish, don't I? Well damn it, I feel selfish. Is that so very wrong?"

Before he realised what he'd done Duo pulled Quatre into an embrace. "No, it's not wrong. You have every right to feel the way you do." He took a step back awkwardly, trying not to dwell on how much he'd enjoyed the closeness between them, the feel of Quatre's head resting on his shoulder, and the softness of his hair under his fingers as he'd stroked it in an effort to offer comfort. The other boy had leaned into the embrace the same way he'd leaned into that kiss they'd shared last year. _For God's sake, Maxwell, _he chided himself. _Cat's a friend. He's in love with someone else…and so am I._

Placing both hands on Quatre's shoulder, Duo took a deep breath. "You know you can't go on like this. Neither of you can. You need to take the bull by the horns," he grinned, "or in this case the Gundam pilot by that weird hair of his, and have it out with him."

"Trowa's hair isn't weird," Quatre protested. "It's cute." Duo fought the urge to snigger. He'd heard Trowa called a few things, but cute wasn't high on the list. Then again, Quatre had seen a side of him none of the others had. Quatre shot him a filthy look before continuing. "I was going to say sexy, but I thought I'd told you enough about our sex life." He poked out his tongue good-naturedly. 

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were in love with the guy," Duo joked, and then mentally kicked himself for the tactless remark. "Sorry, Cat. That was tasteless, under the circumstances." 

To his surprise Quatre answered him with a genuine smile, something he hadn't seen much of over the previous few days. "It's true though, Duo. You don't need to apologise for the truth. I do love Trowa, and I've always believed it's important to fight for what's important to you. That's the reason I fought in the war, after all. I almost lost Trowa then, I'm not prepared to take the chance again. I can't and I won't. It's strange how I can find the courage to fight an army of mobile suits, and yet I can't for this."

"It's a different kind of courage," Duo pointed out. "You're concerned about Trowa's reaction because you care about him. And that's a very good thing. It wouldn't surprise me if he's got issues that are making him react like this that he's not telling you about for the same reason. One of you has to make the first move, and if he won't, it's down to you."

"Another one of your tactical manoeuvres?" Quatre raised an eyebrow before both of them laughed. 

"Hey, it worked the last time. Don't knock it until you try it." And one of these days, he'd learn to practice what he preached. 

"We've arranged to meet on L2 next month." Quatre sighed. "That week can't come fast enough."

"If it doesn't, I wouldn't wait." Duo wasn't sure Quatre would last the distance. He wasn't coping now. This wedding and those sisters of his with their well-meaning matchmaking were only going to make it worse. "You know where the circus is. Go see him, have it out. The sooner you do, the better you'll both feel." Duo shrugged. "What's the worse that could happen? Tro loves you, he's probably as scared about this whole scenario as you are."

"I'm _not _scared!" Quatre paused. "Well, yes I suppose I am. And you have a point. Thanks, Duo." He moved away from the window, leaned over the bed to puff up the pillows, before making himself comfortable and stretching out much the same way Duo had earlier. 

"Hey, no problem," Duo replied. He joined Quatre to lie beside him on the bed, linking his fingers behind his neck before resting his head on the second pile of pillows, enjoying the softness under his head.

For several moments they both lay there silently, content in each other's company until Duo became aware of the fact that he was being watched. "What?" he asked. "I knew it, there's a spot on my nose you're too polite to tell me about." 

Instead of laughing at his attempt to lighten the atmosphere, Quatre shook his head, wriggling further up the mountain of pillows in an effort to get more comfortable. "There's a spot, Duo, but it's not on your nose." Quatre paused. "It's in your heart."

"Huh?" Duo decided to play dumb, hoping it might distract Quatre from where he hoped this line of questioning wasn't going.

"Don't even try it, Duo. This is me you're talking to. And we both know that whole routine is a load of crap." Touche. Typically, Quatre was throwing the whole direct approach Duo had used earlier, right back at him. "How long have you been working next to Heero?"

"Two months, twenty six days," Duo replied, frowning. "And I guess I just gave myself away with that anal amount of detail, right?" 

"Yes," Quatre admitted. "But it's obvious even without that."

"Obvious to whom?" Duo didn't want the answer but the question was out of his mouth before he'd even realised he'd asked it.

"Obvious to me." Quatre frowned. "I wouldn't talk about this to Trowa, if that's what you're worried about. We're friends, Duo." Blue eyes clouded over in a storm of doubt. "I thought you trusted me."

"I do," Duo confirmed. "I told you that space-heart isn't one hundred percent reliable," he joked before backing down. "Okay, so I had a momentary flash of doubt. A guy's allowed to do that from time to time. I'm sorry." He shifted his hands to lay them on his chest, studying intently the way the fingers curled around each other, although his mind was somewhere else entirely. "He's cute when he's clueless, you know. Heero I mean." 

Quatre nodded after Duo glanced in his direction. "He'll be even cuter when he's not clueless. Heero has a compassionate side to him, Duo, and he cares about people." There was a moment's silence. "He tried to help me in Sanq even though he was fighting his own demons." 

"Help you? I thought you told me in that cell that Heero was the one going through the emotional turmoil?" 

"I suppose you could say I caused quite a lot of that turmoil," Quatre's eyes glazed over, and he bit down on one lip, while he remembered. "It was an uncertain time, and difficult to work out the best way to fight. Most of the black and white had been replaced by shades of grey." He stopped, noticing the accusing look Duo was giving him. 

"We both had our own problems." Quatre fiddled with a shirt button, winding a loose piece of cotton around it. "Heero doesn't show a lot of what he feels, and I guess I show too much. The first few days were difficult, but manageable, and then…" 

"And then..?" Quatre seemed very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Either that or he was dealing with memories he didn't want to face. Sanq. Oh shit. Just after the whole ZERO fiasco. "Cat, don't worry about it. If it's something you don't want to talk about now, we'll talk about it one day when you do, okay?"

"Thanks, Duo," the relief in Quatre's voice was obvious. "So when are you going to follow your own advice and talk to Heero?" The brightness in his tone as he asked the question was forced, but Duo pretended not to notice. 

"When the time is right," Duo shrugged. "Heero is still coming to terms with living a so called normal life, I can't swing this on him without warning. Hell, what if the way I feel about him is one sided? I'd feel like an idiot, and run the risk of losing the friendship of someone I care about. It's not worth it."

"Are you sure about that?" Quatre shook his head sadly. "It took me a long time to get up the nerve to tell Trowa how I felt for much the same reasons. Don't make the same mistake, Duo."

"I still have to work with the guy," Duo knew how pathetic the reasoning sounded aloud, but some part of him needed to go through the motions anyway. "Heero's not exactly in touch with his emotions. Even if he works out how he feels, how's he gonna know what to do with it?" 

"It?" Quatre didn't attempt to hide his smirk. 

"His…" Duo blushed, something he didn't do often. "Oh shit, did I just say what I think I did?"

"Yes." The twinkle in Quatre's eye made him feel even more embarrassed. "I'm sure Heero's not as clueless as you think he is. About his emotions, I mean. And he's come a long way since you first met him." His expression grew serious again. "There's something between you and Heero. I can feel it. But you have to act on it, and acknowledge it. Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering what if? You've just told me to talk to the man I love. Isn't it time you laid your cards on the table and did the same?"

"But it's different for me," Duo protested, noticing the familiar posture his friend was adopting, the slight stiffening of his back, the way his brow creased into a frown. Quatre was in strategy mode. He was screwed. Nothing he said now was going to make a damn bit of difference, because Quatre would see the holes in his arguments and ever so nicely point them out. Inwardly he shrugged. Maybe Quatre was right, and it _was_ time to do something? Working with the guy he loved and feeling frustrated because he wasn't sure he was ever going to have the relationship with him that he craved was getting harder with each passing day. 

"Why is it different?" Quatre's tone was a mixture of curiosity and disbelief. 

"Well…" Duo stalled for time while he worked through the most feasible scenario. "You guys weren't working together. If you'd made a mistake you could still go your separate ways."

"That wouldn't have made his rejection any easier to take," Quatre remarked quietly. "You could always ask to be reassigned and given another partner. The Preventers are a large organisation, with branches on the colonies as well as Earth."

"Well I kind of like living on Earth, I've gotten attached to it." Duo shrugged. "Besides, I'd have to explain to Une why I wanted the transfer."

"That's just an excuse and you know it," Quatre's tone was still quiet, but firm. "Sometimes you have to take a chance if you want to live life to the fullest. It's the difference between living and existing. Being with the person you love, or forever being alone." 

"I don't want to be alone," Duo admitted, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I've lost too many people I care about already. It's taken me a long time to realise I couldn't hold myself responsible for losing them, but this isn't the same." _If I lose Heero because I'm honest with him about how I feel, I'll have no one to blame but myself._ He glanced up to meet Quatre's gaze, unable to hide what he knew was reflected in his own - fear of rejection, and the anticipated loss of a good friend. "At least this way I still have him as a friend. I can't endanger that, Cat, it's too precious." 

Quatre pulled himself up on his elbows, before sliding closer to Duo. He gently reached over and ran a finger across Duo's cheek, before letting it rest on his lips to ensure his silence while he spoke. Duo shivered, part of him enjoying the unexpected touch, the other part scared that he did. "Friendship is precious, Duo, but love is even more so. This is killing you slowly inside, just as much as not telling Trowa I want something more permanent is killing me. Don't leave it until it's too late. Please promise me that." He removed his finger from Duo's mouth, seemingly unaware of the sense of loss the action provoked. 

__

God, Maxwell, what the hell are you doing? "I promise," he said, absently noting the slight shake in his voice. "But you have to promise me you'll have it out with Tro." Duo hooked his pinky around Quatre's. 

"I promise," Quatre replied, his tone not as firm as it had been, his own finger gripping Duo's to finalise their pact. "I'll do it when the time is right," he amended. "After the wedding."

"Of course," Duo agreed. "And I'll tell Heero when the time is right."

"Duo…" Quatre sat bolt upright, his tone suggesting he was less than impressed with the proviso. 

"Yeah, okay. You tell Trowa first, then I'll think about telling Heero." Duo shrugged. "Sounds fair enough to me. One of us has to practice what they preach." He broke into one of his trademark grins. "I'll be there for you, and then when you and Tro get it together, you can return the favour. So in other words, I'll tell him after you've sorted out your own love life."

For some reason Quatre didn't agree with his reasoning. "Provisos aren't part of the deal," he protested, frowning. "I'm supposed to be the strategist here, not you."

"Aha," Duo pointed out. "Stealth, not strategy. Sneaked that one on you before you saw it coming." He moved quickly out of harms way before Quatre could react but wasn't quite quick enough to totally avoid the pillow shot in his direction. "Your aim's off, Winner. What's the matter? Scared to take me on without a Gundam to back you up?" 

The tips of Quatre's ears turned an interesting shade of pink, and the tone in his voice suggested he meant business. "I could take you on and win any day, Maxwell." 

"Yeah, sure you could," Duo ducked, but not soon enough, as the second pillow caught him in the stomach. "Hmmph," he muttered, pretending to stagger before dancing out of reach again. 

"Care to wager a bet on that?" Quatre asked, not bothering to hide his smugness. 

"I didn't think you were the gambling type," Duo smirked, glad his ploy to change the subject was working even better than he'd hoped. 

"Gambling?" interrupted an amused female voice and both boys turned in the direction of the bedroom door.

"Why doesn't it surprise me to see you here?" Quatre muttered under his breath at his sister's words. He frowned. "How much of that conversation did you overhear?"

"What conversation?" Alimah Winner's tone was that of pure innocence but Duo believed _that_ act even less than he did when her brother used it. He'd only met her the day before, but had been impressed with her sense of humour and wit. Quatre had taken her very direct enquires regarding Trowa's health, wellbeing, and a few other attributes, which even Duo had raised an eyebrow over, in his stride, matching her comments with several choice remarks of his own. Apparently verbal sparring was something they did often, and after several minutes Duo had pulled up a chair, content to watch, learn, and enjoy the fun. His only regret was that they hadn't thought to provide popcorn before they'd started. 

The blonde woman rolled her eyes. "All I see are two boys having a pillow fight." She grinned. "Are you sure it's not past your bedtime?" 

"Ali," Quatre protested. "Play nice, Duo's a friend."

"Yes, I can see that," Alimah glanced between the two boys and laughed, before shaking her head in mock disbelief. "I just hope you two were better shots behind the controls of your Gundams. Amazes me the reputation you pilots had during war. If the public could only see you now…"

"Well that's not going to happen, so I wouldn't worry about it," Quatre glared at her. 

Duo had been surprised that Alimah had known who he was when they'd been introduced. He'd been under the impression that none of Quatre's family had known about the part he'd played during the war as a Gundam pilot. From what he'd gathered from the short time he'd been on L4, the Winners weren't a close family. Although it was something Quatre didn't want to discuss, he had, however, admitted that Alimah was one of the few Winner sisters who knew he'd piloted Sandrock, and one of the fewer still who had supported his decision to do so. Apparently the story Iria had told her brother about all his sisters being behind him, had been just that, a story. She hadn't had the heart to tell him that most of them didn't know, and that most who did sided with their father. In hindsight, this had probably been a smart decision on her part. It sucked being an orphan, but he suspected it would be worse living with the knowledge that your family, who supposedly loved you, were less than supportive of the stuff that really mattered. Quatre hadn't taken the news well when he'd finally discovered the truth. He'd insisted it didn't matter, but Duo could tell it had. The bitches had better accept Trowa and his relationship with their brother, but Duo suspected that Quatre had already resigned himself to the fact that most of them wouldn't. 

"Cat's different when he's fighting bad guys, Ali," Duo drawled. "I know I wouldn't want to go up against him in battle."

"Well, I still think of him as my baby brother," Alimah ruffled Quatre's hair, making a point of ignoring the snort of disgust from him. "You're cute when you're embarrassed," she told her brother, with a grin. "Not as cute as that boyfriend of yours, though." Alimah winked at Duo. "I think poor Trowa's still under the illusion I haven't worked out that he and my brother are an item. Poor deluded darling. All the flirting over the dinner table when he stayed, all the noises coming from Cat's bedroom. Tsk tsk. Subtle, my arse." 

"Alimah Winner…" The slow blush creeping over Quatre's face ruined any effect he was attempting to achieve regarding the tone of disapproval in his voice. "You promised…"

"Oh," Alimah smirked, "so I did. But pretending to be clueless doesn't extend to Duo though, right? After all he's an observant young man, aren't you, Duo dear?"

"Yeah, very observant." Duo returned the wink, and then dropped his voice to a whisper, enjoying the response he was provoking from Quatre. "What noises coming from Cat's bedroom?" 

"We were talking," Quatre protested indignantly. "It wasn't long after I got home and I wasn't in much of a state to…" His voice trailed off. 

"Where there's a will there's a way," Duo pointed out. "And between the two of you I would think there's one hell of a lot of will power."

"Duo!" Quatre pretended to bury his face in his hands. "I don't believe this. You're," he pointed at Duo, "my friend and supposed to stick up for me against my cruel big sister."

"Yeah, true," Duo admitted. "But hey, this is so much more fun. I don't get to see you squirm like this very often, and I have to admit I'm enjoying it."

"We'll see about squirm," Quatre muttered. "I still figure I could take you on and win." A slow smile crossed his lips, after he repeated his earlier challenge. "Ali was only complaining the other night that we don't play cards as often as we used to. You up for a game, Duo?" 

"Sure, why not?" Duo shrugged, hiding his grin. This should be interesting. Strict sheltered upbringing, how good could these guys be? He mentally rolled his eyes. Amateurs. "What's your game of choice? Snap? Go fish?" he asked, unable to resist teasing his friend. 

Quatre's eyes flashed dangerously. "Poker," he stated. 

"That's an interesting choice," Duo commented. "Sure it's not out of your league?" He glanced between the two siblings, noticing Alimah's look of amusement. _Okay, what am I missing here?_ "I'm in if you are." He paused. "Must warn you though, I play to win. I mean I'd hate to take all your money, even though the idea of being worth billions is kind of appealing."

To his surprise both Quatre and Alimah laughed. "Who said anything about playing for money?" Quatre asked. 

"Okay, not money," Duo shook his head. "Don't tell me you guys still play for plastic counters. I thought you were past that, Quatre. Obviously I was wrong."

"You'll find out soon enough," Quatre told him, still grinning at some private joke. "What's the matter, Duo? Don't you trust me?" 

"Nope." 

"I told you he was observant, little…" Whatever she'd be about to say was silenced by a glare from Quatre. "I'll go find the cards, and turn up the air conditioning." She smirked. "I have a feeling I'm going to need it." 

Before Duo could ask what she meant by that cryptic remark, she was gone, leaving the two Gundam pilots alone in the room. What the hell did she mean by that, and what was so damned funny? Duo groaned. Why did he suddenly get this feeling he'd just been manipulated into a situation he was going to regret?

The patently innocent look Quatre was giving him wasn't helping. Yep, he was screwed. 

TBC


	2. Two

A Not So Straight Flush 

By Anne Olsen

Rating/warnings this chapter: This Fic has been rated in accordance with the approved TTFF Rating System. 

OK (Oz/Kiwi spelling/grammar etc) – MA (Mature audience) – Sexual refs, suggestive language, angst, humour.

Pairings: 2+4, 3x4, 2+1

Author's notes: This fic is part of the 'Outlasting Time' arc, which is obviously being written way out of order. For more information and to read the other stories in the series check out the following

http://www.angelfire.com/ab7/shadesandechoes/outlastingtime.html

Summary: When Duo visits Quatre, and they join Alimah Winner in a game of strip poker, more is revealed than either of them had initially anticipated. (A sidefic/prequel to 'At Your Side'.)

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I promise to return the boys when I'm finished. 

Thanks to: Bast, Raletha and Sakura for beta reading, comments and support. Also to Windsor for her suggestion re the 'soundtrack' for this chapter. It's wonderfully er....bohemian. *grins*

Feedback to: anneo @ paradise.net.nz 

*******

Chapter Two

"Sure you're up to the role of dealer, Cat?" Duo asked, settling back into his chair and stretching. The day was still warm even though it was heading into evening, and the colony's imitation breeze ruffled the corners of the light cotton cloth covering their table. He allowed his gaze to wander around the room again, his eyes drawn to the Winner family portraits on the walls. Strange how there weren't any of all the children together. Duo remembered Quatre telling him that he had yet to meet all of his sisters, and that there were only a few of them that he knew well. He suspected Quatre was closer to his fellow pilots than he was to most of his family. It was also pretty damn obvious that the Winners had no idea who their younger brother and current heir really was. It would be fun to be a fly on the wall when they eventually found out, which hopefully would be soon, considering Quatre's determination to introduce his chosen partner. He wished he knew what the hell was behind Trowa's equally determined stance against it.

Raising an eyebrow, Quatre replied with a self-satisfied smile. "Oh, I'm sure I'll manage." The smile turned to one of amusement as though he were laughing at some private joke. "I have played before, and I'm well aware of the expectations required for my role in this game."

Alimah stifled a laugh, focusing her attention on the brightly coloured polish she was applying to her nails. Another glance passed between the siblings and Duo wondered again what he was missing. "Don't get snotty, Cat. Duo's just making sure you're up to his standard of play. Isn't that right, Duo dear?"

"I am not getting _snotty_," Quatre protested, giving her a glare. "That particular boyfriend of yours is long gone. There's no need to remind us of him by insisting on using that word." 

"He wouldn't be gone if you hadn't scared him off," Alimah pointed out. "There's protective and then there's obsessive, brother dear, although I'm still not sure what exactly it was you said to him." She shook her head, and Duo decided the mental image of Quatre scaring off his older sister's prospective boyfriends was something he didn't want to contemplate. 

"I didn't scare him off," Quatre corrected her. "You're quite capable of doing that on your own." He paused. "Sorry, that didn't come out the way I meant it to. He wasn't the right person for you, Ali, and we both know it." 

"Yes, we do," Alimah indicated the pack of cards sitting on the table. "Come on, deal." She continued speaking as Quatre began shuffling the deck. "I just thank my lucky stars I found out about Richard before I got in too deep. Unlike some sisters we won't mention."  


"Ghazal thinks the sun shines out of Glen's…" Quatre's voice trailed off. "Umm, sorry. Let's play poker, shall we?" 

It took all of Duo's will power to focus on the game at hand. "Sounds like a good plan to me," he drawled, noticing how comfortable his friend seemed with his role as dealer. "What do you guys want to play? Stud or draw? Five or seven?"

"Five card draw," replied Quatre. "Kings and the lowest card in your hand are wild." The blond paused, splitting the cards between two hands and flipping them with an ease that suggested he'd done this before. "I can't decide which way I want to go. 'Kings and Low-Men' or 'No Vaseline'. What's your preference, Duo?"

"Huh?" Duo's mind had crashed to a halt with the realisation he might be further in over his head than he'd originally anticipated. "Kings and Low-Men," he mumbled, watching Quatre bring the two halves of the deck together before spreading them across the table. The smirk on Quatre's face as he'd asked for his preference, and the twinkle in his eyes after Duo had answered wasn't very reassuring. So okay, Quatre had read the rules of some of the not so common variations of the game and practised his card handling skills. It didn't mean he could actually _play_ the game. Nah, that took a certain finesse. One which he was certain the Winner heir had no business knowing. He took a gulp from the glass in front of him, using the action to cover his surprise.

"Okay," Quatre began dealing the cards. "Kings and Low-Men it is then. We'll have to try for 'No Vaseline' another time." He chuckled. "Although I've heard it's better with it." 

Duo choked as his water went down the wrong way and Alimah laughed. "I do believe you've shocked the poor boy, Cat."

"Have I?" Quatre's tone didn't sound repentant at all, and the grin on his face was nothing less than smug. "He's always telling me he doesn't believe the innocent routine." Quatre placed the remainder of the deck on the table and examined his hand although it was hard to gauge his reaction to whatever cards he'd dealt himself. 

From her position on Quatre's right, Alimah did the same and Duo followed suit once he'd stopped coughing. King of diamonds, Jack and seven of spades, five and six of hearts._ I've had better_, he thought, deciding to ditch the number cards and keep the rest. 

"I'll open with one…" Duo paused. "Hey, what are we playing for anyway?"

"I'd like to see that t-shirt come off first," Alimah suggested. "What do you think, Cat?" She turned to her brother to get his opinion. 

"What the hell are you guys…?" Oh shit. Duo groaned. They couldn't be serious. 

"T-shirt, definitely," Quatre agreed, "although his trousers do hold a certain appeal." His eyes twinkled in silent laughter and Duo felt a sudden flash of anger. He'd been played like a damn amateur and had fallen for it hook, line and sinker. 

__

Right, if that's the way you want to play the game. It's fine by me.

Removing his t-shirt slowly, and enjoying the slight colouring of Quatre's cheeks as he did so, Duo calmly placed it on the centre of the table. "Going to match my opening bet?" he taunted. "Or are the stakes too high for you?"

"Tsk, tsk," Alimah answered. "Getting excited are we? And the fun is only just beginning." One hand went to her ear and she removed a single earing, placing it on Duo's t-shirt, her fingers stroking the cotton material in a deliberate slowness before sitting back in her chair. 

After a moment Quatre slid his watch off his wrist, adding it to the pot. "Nice abs, Duo," he noted approvingly. "But I suspect we'll get a better view when you lose the vest underneath."

"I hope you have a vest on under your own shirt, Quatre, unless you don't mind me getting a view of _your_ abs." Duo was proud of the way he retained his composure, although the temperature of the room seemed to have risen several degrees following Quatre's remark. No way was he going to lose any more clothing. Now he knew the stakes, Duo was determined to play to win. The gloves, or in this case shirt, were off. It was time to concentrate on showing these two amateurs how this game _should_ be played. 

Re-examining his hand after drawing three new cards, Duo noted that Alimah had discarded three cards, and Quatre two, and he wondered if their hands were in line with his own. King of hearts, nine of diamonds, six of spades. Lowest card wild. Duo rearranged his cards. Three of a kind. He could definitely live with that. 

Casually tossing his own watch into the pot, Duo allowed himself a minute smirk. "I'll see your watch and raise my own. Alimah?" 

"Too rich for me," Alimah grumbled. "Better to leave it to the experts. I fold." She grinned. "Besides it's more fun sitting on the sidelines and watching two guys lose clothing."

"Ali, stop being a pervert," Quatre scolded.

"Why should I let you be the only pervert in this family?" Alimah protested.

To his amusement Quatre blushed. "I am not a pervert," he muttered, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and throwing it onto the table. "I'll see your watch and raise you a handkerchief." 

"Uh huh," Alimah rolled her eyes. "Shall I ask Trowa about that one? I bet you and he have all sorts of fun on these romantic trysts of yours." 

"Shame you'll never know isn't it?" Quatre poked his tongue out at his sister. "You'll have to excuse her, Duo," he apologised. 

"No problem," Duo reassured his friend. Truth be known, he was enjoying the banter between them. This was a side of Quatre he was sure very few people got to see. Damn shame Trowa wasn't here to join in. That might raise the stakes a bit. "What ya got?" he asked Quatre, laying his own hand on the table with a flourish. "Three of a kind. Kings." Beat that, his tone suggested. 

"Good hand," Quatre admitted. "But not good enough." He smirked before revealing his cards. Duo groaned aloud as he read the cards. Jack, ten, eight, seven, three. Damn it. Lowest card wild. "I'm sure a straight beats three of a kind. Better luck next time." 

Several hands and items of clothing later Duo decided he smelt a rat. A golden haired former Gundam pilot rat to be precise. There was no way Quatre could be winning hand after hand like this. Shit, no one's luck was this good. Alimah caught his eye discretely and smiled sympathetically although she didn't do a good job of hiding her amusement at his increasing state of undress. 

"You're down to your boxers, Duo." Quatre's statement of the obvious annoyed the hell out of him, as did the smirk he was tempted to reach over and wipe off his face. The blond tapped the table in an impatient gesture. "I'm waiting, or is the great Shinigami too embarrassed to get naked in front of an audience?" 

"I'd love to see _you_ in just your boxers," Duo replied, annoyed that Quatre had managed to hang onto every item of clothing except a freaking handkerchief. Who went into a poker game with six handkerchiefs in their pocket anyway? He'd been well and truly set up. There was no way he was parting with _his _boxers. A guy had to have some pride. A sudden flash of inspiration hit, and he reached for the end of his braid, shaking his hair out of its confines as he threw the hair tie down in front of Quatre. "Looks as though you'll have to wait a bit longer to have your wet dreams fulfilled doesn't it, Quatre?"

To his surprise Quatre paled, his previously calm composure vanishing in a reaction Duo hadn't been expecting. "If that's what you think, Duo," he said quietly, hands shaking as he poured himself a drink from the water pitcher.

"Quatre, dear, could you do me a small favour?" Alimah fluttered her eyelashes at her brother and he looked at her suspiciously, the glass he was holding poised in mid air. 

"What kind of favour?" Quatre covered his nervousness by shifting his attention onto his sister. 

"I'm feeling chilly. Could you go fetch my silk scarf for me?"

Quatre snorted. "It's not that chilly. If you want to get rid of me at least be discreet about it." He took another sip of water, his brow creasing as he glanced between Alimah and Duo. "What are you up to, Ali?"

It amazed Duo how Alimah managed to plaster a convincing expression of hurt on her face so quickly. "You wound me, little…"

"Ali!" Quatre blushed, and Duo wondered not for the first time, what the hell the phrase was he kept reacting to. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that," Quatre muttered, pushing his chair back from the table as he rose to his feet. "Whatever it is you want to talk to Duo about, I'm sure you could do it with me in the room. But if you insist, I'll humour you this once." He headed for the door. "Which silk scarf? You have so many of the damn things."

"The pink one." Alimah sniggered. "The one you loved to borrow when you used to play dress up when you were younger." Duo laughed and Quatre shot him a glare. "Although I'm still wondering why it found its way into your luggage the last time you went on holiday. Tying that boyfriend of yours to the bedpost with it were you?"

"You misplaced it. I didn't take it on holiday with me." Quatre's voice was calm, but the way he brushed an errant lock of hair off his face suggested he wasn't impressed with the teasing. 

__

It's the small gestures and body language which give people away, Duo thought, unable to wipe the grin off his face. He attempted to drum up some sympathy towards his friend regarding his evil big sister but remembering the last hand of poker, decided not to bother. However, Quatre's reaction to his earlier remark had been weird to say the least. 

"If you insist," Alimah shrugged. 

"I do," Quatre replied, and Duo shivered in the breeze created by the motion of the door closing as he exited the room.

"Okay, so what was that about?" Duo asked.

"Huh?" Alimah tore her glance away from the door, not quite managing to cover her concern before Duo noticed it. "Damn that boy," she muttered, and Duo got the impression she wasn't talking about Quatre. Sounded as though he wasn't the only one aware of the present situation between Quatre and Trowa. 

"They'll sort it out," Duo said softly, blushing when she turned to fix him with an intent gaze, which soon turned into a grin after she examined his current state of undress. 

"If they don't I'll sort the two of them out myself," she told him, "even if I have to lock the pair of them in a room together." Alimah rolled her eyes. "I don't know what's up with Trowa but Cat's too damn stubborn for his own good." She paused, her grin turning decidedly wicked. "So what are you going to do about what my darling brother is doing to _you_?"   


Now it was Duo's turn to come out with the less than brilliant "Huh?"

"Do you honestly think Quatre's winning the game by just his good looks and luck?" Alimah seemed amused by the idea. "Come on, Duo. I thought you Gundam pilots were supposed to have some brainpower." She smirked. "Unless he's not the only one distracted by thoughts of…"

Cutting her off, Duo had to admit he too was suspicious of Quatre's winning streak. "So what's your brilliant theory?" He stood, daring her to come up with a scenario he could live with. 

"Obvious really," Alimah shrugged. "He's cheating." She popped a salted nut into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "The question of course, is how we play him at his own devious little game."

"Cheating?" Duo wondered what the hell he was missing. "I agree about the devious bit, but I can't see Cat cheating. It's just not him."

"Oh I doubt he's doing it intentionally, but it still doesn't make it right. And it doesn't mean we're going to let him win." Alimah paused. "I know you're aware of my brother's…ability to read other people's emotions."

"His space-heart you mean?" Duo nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't know you were."

"I'm his sister, Duo. Of course I know about it." Alimah dropped her voice to a whisper. "Although between you and me, I doubt anyone else does apart from you, I and Iria. And Trowa of course. There's no way he wouldn't have told Trowa. The rest of the family hasn't a clue, which is a very good thing. But then those idiots haven't a clue about a lot of things." 

Duo grinned. "That about matches the conclusion I'd come to regarding what goes on around here too. No offence of course." He'd been correct in his initial assessment of Alimah Winner. She was one smart lady. 

"None taken. Now," Alimah chewed her lower lip, "my theory is that he's picking up on your reactions to your hands and playing his own accordingly." She chuckled. "I do have an interesting idea on how to distract him and use it to our advantage." Alimah stopped and sighed. "Of course it all depends on whether you're up to it."

"I'm a Gundam pilot, Ali. Of course I'm damn well up to it." Duo leaned in closer. "Now spill…"

After glancing around as though she was afraid she might be overheard, Alimah leaned back in her chair before continuing. "Quatre's concentration levels are very high when he's playing to win. However," her mouth turned up in an evil smirk, "I doubt he has the same control over his hormones. After all, Gundam pilot or not, he is still a teenager and male to boot."

It was hard to resist the temptation to snort. "Hey," Duo protested, "Watch it." Quatre wasn't the only one matching that rather accurate description. His brow furrowed. "How the hell are you suggesting we use his hormones to level the playing field? The one person who would distract him isn't here." 

"No, but you are."

"No way," Duo shook his head. "Cat's a friend, Ali. And he's your brother. You can't be serious."

"Oh but I am." Alimah smiled and he shivered, although he wasn't sure if it was in anticipation of what she was suggesting or because the idea scared the shit out of him. "Don't you see. This could be just the distraction he needs to take his mind of his current problems." Her smile turned sad. "You can cut the tension in the air with a knife, especially over the last few days." Alimah shrugged. "Of course if you don't mind losing those boxers in the next ten minutes, I'm sure I can cope with seeing you naked. I _am_ quite enjoying the view so far."

Hmm, she did have a point, screwed as it was. There was no way he was going to lose these boxers, and a bit of flirting never hurt anyone. After all it wasn't as though this was going to go that far. Just enough to distract Quatre and put him off his game. "Okay," He conceded. "So any brilliant ideas as to how we put this master plan into action?" 

"For a Gundam pilot, your education is sadly lacking." Alimah shook her head. "But then I suppose Quatre was the strategist, though for some reason I can't see him coming up with this one." She laughed at his blank expression. "Cat can pick up on emotions. Focus on what or who turns you on, and I'm sure it would be quite contagious if you know what I mean." Alimah winked. 

Duo felt himself blush as a mental picture of Heero entered his mind without much effort. "I can't do this," he mumbled. "It's… personal. It's not right." He took another sip of water. "You're an evil woman, Ali."

"Don't be such a prude," Alimah told him. "It's not going to hurt anyone. Besides I saw the way Cat looked at you when you took your hair down. You're a looker, Duo, and he knows it. It wouldn't take too damn much to get him going." She glanced towards the door. "That's all I'm suggesting. He's with Trowa. We both know that. I'm not expecting you to end up in bed with him, but a kiss between friends? That never hurt anyone. You're both moping around, and neither of you can go on like this." 

"_Both_ moping around?" But Quatre had insisted he hadn't told anyone about Heero. What the hell was Alimah going on about?

"It's damn obvious you've got a touch of what's bothering Quatre. I haven't a clue about the story behind it, but I can pick up on it a mile off. Have some fun, Duo. Work off some of the tension. It sure as hell isn't going to do any harm. I trust you enough to know you're not going to take advantage of him, or I wouldn't be suggesting this. What's the matter? Don't you think you've got the will power to control yourself?"

"Of course I have will power." Duo rolled his eyes at the suggestion. He'd come through the war with his Gundam more or less intact, kicking Ozzie butt in the process. Where did she get off suggesting he wasn't up to controlling his own hormones?

"Here's your scarf, Ali." Duo jumped at the sound of Quatre's voice behind him. He'd been so engrossed in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed his friend re enter the room. "I hope whatever you guys were discussing was worth it." 

"So do I," replied Alimah, giving Duo a meaningful glance before wrapping the thin scarf around her shoulders. Protection against the cold? Yeah right. No wonder Quatre had been suspicious. "Are you ready for another hand, boys? I'm looking forward to seeing rather more of your good looking friend here, Quatre." She wolf whistled. "But then I'm not above seeing how you've changed since you used to run around naked as a toddler either."

The silence in the room following her remark was deafening, both boys bowing their heads to examine the cloth on the table as their faces burned bright red. The thought of a naked Quatre, even as a child, was not something Duo needed right now. He was having enough problems keeping thoughts of another unclothed Gundam pilot out of his mind. 

Quatre dealt the cards quickly, muttering something in Arabic under his breath. One of these days Duo was going to ask his friend to teach him the basics of his native tongue, although he suspected he'd then lose any illusions he had left about the blond. Swearing in another language had distinct advantages in company.   
  
With a shake of her head, Alimah informed them she was sitting this hand out. After the chat they'd just had, Duo wasn't surprised. She nodded as he picked up his cards in way of encouragement to put their 'plan' into operation. Still trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing, and helping Quatre, Duo concentrated on examining his hand in an attempt to buy more time. _Crappy cards,_ he snorted, mentally rolling his eyes. At this rate he'd be losing his boxers fairly shortly.

"The opening bet is yours, Duo," Duo could have sworn Quatre's grin was almost lascivious, but maybe that was just his own guilty conscience regarding what he was about to do?

The only item of clothing he had left to bargain with were his boxers. Oh what the hell. This was war, and they were both experienced soldiers. "Give me a minute to examine my options," he muttered, focusing on the task at hand. Duo closed his eyes, imagining Heero was in the room with them, a very obliging Heero who was only too happy to remove his clothing for a good cause. Duo swallowed hard, as his imagination went into overdrive. God, the guy was freaking gorgeous, and with the spandex he'd worn during the war it really didn't take much effort to visualise what was under it. 

"Duo?" Duo opened his eyes to meet Quatre's. The other boy was pulling at his shirt collar, unfastening the top few buttons, and taking a sip of water. 

"It's warm here in the evenings," Duo commented, noting the smirk of approval from Alimah. 

"Yeah," Quatre replied, frowning. "Maybe I need to turn up the air conditioning?" 

Discreetly shifting one hand under the table, and thankful for the overhanging cloth hiding what he was about to do, Duo stroked himself lightly through the black silk of his boxers. At the same time he imagined Heero slowly doing a provocative striptease for his benefit on the top of the table directly above him. 

There was a crash as the water pitcher Quatre was using up ended on the table, soaking the cards, and the cloth. Duo quickly removed his hand as he was brought back to reality with a bang. He rose to his feet, but then sat down again as he noticed the tell tale bulge in his boxers. Clever, really clever. All he'd achieved was to give himself a hard on that he had no way of relieving without looking obvious. He groaned aloud, his mind groping in an effort to hang onto a mental picture which was rapidly fading as fast as his chances of finding a suitable explanation out of this mess. 

Quatre was staring at him in confusion, the grin that had been there earlier changing into a slow smile as a blush spread across his features. Quatre swallowed before licking his lips, his gaze travelling downwards to take in Duo's rather prominent erection after lingering wistfully at Duo's unbraided hair. 

__

"Trowa's hair isn't weird," Quatre's earlier words repeated in his mind, as he put two and two together. _"It's cute. I was going to say sexy, but I thought I'd told you enough about our sex life."_

The guy had a thing about hair. Firstly the comment about Trowa's, and now the way he was staring, entranced, at the sight of Duo's locks brushing against his hips and clinging to the damp material of his suddenly very tight boxers.

"Beautiful," Quatre, seemingly in a daze, murmured the word so softly Duo barely heard him. The blond rose to his feet and pushed back his chair, one hand resting on his chest. "Duo…I…"

Before Duo could answer Alimah spoke from the other side of the room. He'd been so engrossed with his imagined fantasy and the effect it seemed to be having on Quatre that he hadn't noticed her flipping through the extensive collection of CD's. "Oh, this is perfect, [1]" she exclaimed. "Got to have the right background music for these occasions, right boys?"

The lyrics started in with the music, the slow but sensual beat doing nothing to ease the pressure growing in Duo's groin. 

Quatre seemed surprised at Alimah's choice of music, but after a few moments his lips began mouthing the opening lyrics.

Duo stood and took a step backwards. 

__

And I don't want to think too much about what we,

Should or shouldn't do.

"Umm, Cat," he mumbled. "What are you doing?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw the door open, and then close quickly as Alimah made her escape. 

His voice low and throaty, Quatre closed the distance between them, caressing Duo's cheek with one finger. "I can feel you want it too, Duo." He smiled and Duo's boxers suddenly felt even tighter than they had a few moments before. "Music is good for setting the mood, don't you think?" Quatre paused, closing his eyes and rocking back and forth in time with the music, as he sang along with the words. 

__

Lay my hands on heaven and the sun and the moon and the stars,

While the devil want to fuck me in the back of his car.

Nothing quite like the feel of something new.

Did Quatre know just how damn sexy he looked right now? Duo watched Quatre edge closer towards him, his breath hot as their lips met in a bruising kiss. Part of him knew he shouldn't be doing this. Hell, _Quatre_ shouldn't be doing this. Maybe this idea of using his friend's ability to pick up on emotions against him hadn't been such a great idea after all? He was going to hate himself in the morning. Duo broke the kiss and attempted to move away. "Quatre, please…Trowa…"

"Trowa isn't here, Duo. You are…" Nimble fingers traced a path around the waistband of Duo's boxers, gripping the material to pull the two of them closer. "I know you want this. I can feel it." Quatre's eyes met his, and there was a hurt expression in them. "Don't you want me?" Quatre slowly undid the top button of his jeans and edged the zipper down. "I know I want you." 

"Oh God, Cat." Duo swallowed hard as Quatre pressed against him before sliding his fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp in smooth even strokes. _The hands of a musician, a very talented musician,_ Duo thought, groaning. 

"Do you have any idea what your hair does to me?" Quatre purred, rubbing against him. "You're so beautiful, Duo, and your hair is so soft. So very soft." 

He had to make one last ditched attempt to bring them both back to reality. "Hmm, Cat, did you ever tell Trowa about that kiss?"

"No, did you ever tell Heero?"

"Nope."

"Hmmm, then I guess we'd better not tell them about this either," Quatre replied, his mouth moving to suckle at Duo's breastbone, the action taking with it what was left of Duo's intention to stop this before it went any further. 

__

Oh what the hell. What's the worse Tro can do to me?

In the background the music continued, both of them swaying in time, their moans barely audible over the slow thump thump of the bass line. 

__

I swear,

I just found everything I need.

The sweat in your eyes, the blood in your veins,

Are listening to me.

Well I want to wrap it up and swim in it until I drown,

My moral standing is lying down.

Nothing quite like the feel of something new.

Something silky and soft moved against Duo's thigh, and Quatre's lips pressed up against his ear. "I know you want this, Duo." He nodded, lost in the feeling of Quatre's body pressed up against his, as the song moved into the chorus, the words a scary reflection of his present state of mind. 

__

Maybe I'm all messed up in you.

This is the only time I really feel alive.

"Cat. What?" Duo felt himself fall backwards as he was pushed into a chair. Quatre's expression was feral, his eyes reflecting the rawness of his exposed emotions. In his hand was the pink silk scarf Alimah had jokingly accused him of borrowing from her wardrobe. 

"Don't you want me to take you, Duo?" Quatre spoke softly, but his words were clear. "All of your desires, they're flowing through me like the rapids of a river." He placed his hand over his heart. "I can feel them, feel you." Quatre paused. "My ability, it's a strange thing. It's sometimes hard for me to tell the difference between my own wants and desires and those of someone else." 

Before Duo realised what was happening, Quatre was bending over him and using the scarf to secure him to the chair.

__

"It's sometimes hard for me to tell the difference between my own wants and desires and those of someone else." 

The words his friend had just spoken repeated in his mind, and Duo felt an emotional bucket of cold water hit him squarely in the face. Oh shit. 

"Quatre," he protested, "I'm not sure this is such a good idea. What about..?"

"What about what?" Quatre stood upright and re zippered his trousers. "I'm going to find something which will make this so much easier for both of us." He licked his lips, his expression reflecting a regret that made Duo uneasy. "Kiwi," Quatre decided. "Trowa always liked kiwi." The blond waggled one finger. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." 

******

TBC

[1] The Only Time – Nine Inch Nails

******


	3. Three

A Not So Straight Flush (3/3)  
By Anne Olsen  
  
Rating/warnings this chapter: This Fic has been rated in accordance with the approved TTFF Rating System.   
  
OK (Oz/Kiwi spelling/grammar etc) - PG - Sexual refs, suggestive language, angst, humour.  
  
Pairings: 2+4, 3x4, 2+1  
  
Author's notes: This fic is part of the 'Outlasting Time' arc, which is obviously being written way out of order. For more information and to read the other stories in the series check out the following.   
  
http://www.angelfire.com/ab7/shadesandechoes/outlastingtime.html  
  
Summary: When Duo visits Quatre, and they join Alimah Winner in a game of strip poker, more is revealed than either of them had initially anticipated. (A sidefic/prequel to 'At Your Side'.)  
  
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I promise to return the boys when I'm finished.   
  
Thanks to: Bast, Raletha and Sakura for beta reading, comments and support. And to Kashie who has presented me with some gorgeous gift art of Quatre and Duo from chapter two, which you can find on the 'Outlasting Time' page. 

Also thank you to those of you who have posted reviews/sent feedback. It's very much appreciated. J   
  
Feedback to: anneo @ paradise.net.nz   
  
*******  


Chapter Three

After Quatre had left, Duo stared at the door for a full minute before the meaning of his friend's last comment totally registered. Kiwi? Something to make this so much easier? _Ali, what the hell have you gotten me into? What the hell have I gotten myself into? _

It didn't take long to discover that Quatre had done a very good job of restraining him. Duo struggled to untie the knots and free himself but all he managed to achieve was an ache in his arms to join the one in his groin. The latter was something he really didn't need right now, especially as he didn't know how long Quatre would be before he returned with…

Oh God. Trowa was going to kill him, slowly and painfully. His imagination helpfully supplied suggestions as to how, in full glorious technicolour. Duo remembered the act the other pilot had with his sister at the circus. For a brief sickening moment he imagined himself placed against the target and Trowa carefully testing the weight of each knife before throwing. Quatre's lover had a damn good aim. There was no way he'd miss. Trowa wouldn't allow emotion to prevent him from suitably punishing the person who had taken advantage of the man he loved. 

Duo glanced down at his boxers and swallowed, doubling his efforts to free himself. There was no way he was ever going to be able to make love to Heero missing that vital piece of equipment. His eyes glazed over as he became distracted by thoughts of Heero's breath mingling with his and bringing their lips together in a passionate kiss. His contented sigh echoed through the now silent room as he envisioned Heero stroking his braid, before reaching down to shake it free of its constraints. 

It's only a freaking fantasy, he snorted. Romance and the like happened to other people, not to him. Happily ever after only belonged in fairy stories and somehow he doubted he was the virginal Cinderella type. 

__

Or maybe I am_ an idiot,_ he decided, _and Quatre's right_. Why was it so hard to tell Heero how he felt? Because Heero probably hadn't a clue and even if he did, what was the chance of either one of them acting on it? Heero had enough problems dealing with the whole soldier discovering how to live in peacetime scenario. How could he add to that problem by dropping this bombshell on him? 

The answer was simple. He couldn't. 

It was different for Quatre and Trowa. They had something special; each was incomplete without the other, yet even their relationship wasn't without its problems. There was no way he would have had a chance of pulling off the whole empathic sabotage thing if Quatre wasn't seriously pissed at Trowa. He must really love the guy to be putting up with this crap. What was wrong with Trowa? For a moment Duo felt a pang of jealously. Was it so wrong to yearn for Heero to feel that way about him?

Why was life so damn complicated? When they were still fighting in the Gundams it had been so much easier. With no time to concentrate on love, romance or what the future might hold, none of them had dared contemplate the future. They couldn't afford to, not when the future of Earth and the colonies was resting on their shoulders. To give into that kind of distraction would have been fatal. 

No wonder they were all so screwed up now. Even Trowa and Quatre, who had actually managed to hold it together long enough to finally tell each other how they felt, were in danger of throwing it away because Trowa couldn't get past whatever his problem was. The guy needed a good kick up the ass. Correction. _Another_ good kick up the ass. Quatre still hadn't figured out exactly why Trowa had come to L4 after the war. Trowa had raised an eyebrow over Duo's theory of applying the tactical manoeuvres of the battleground to the inner struggle of the heart, but he'd still gone after Quatre on a mission which had scared him more than any he'd undertaken during the war. 

The look in Trowa's eyes as he'd kept vigil over Quatre's bedside after Libra was something Duo was sure he'd never forget. How could Trowa have lived with losing the person he loved without ever having told him how he felt? 

Watching him sleeping next to Quatre, one arm hooked protectively around him, Duo had known that he had to give Trowa at least a memory to cling to if things didn't work out. A smile had crossed his lips after he'd borrowed the camera and snapped the picture. Trowa had been holding Quatre's hand in a grip which suggested there was no way he was going to give him up to the God of Death who had claimed so many on the battlefield already. 

"In case he doesn't wake up," Duo had told Trowa before giving him the photo. Trowa's eyes had misted over as he'd taken it, the pain of a loss he didn't dare contemplate obvious to anyone who knew him.

"Thank you, Duo. You're a good friend. To both of us," he'd whispered, quietly slipping the photograph into his wallet. Duo had noticed him stroke the image of his would be lover with one finger, an all too rare glimpse of the private persona of the man his best friend shared a part of his soul with. 

Yet when Quatre had recovered, and headed back to L4 and the Winner family home to recuperate, the idiot hadn't followed him. Duo suspected why, and had hoped the boot he'd given him in the right direction would be enough. Surely once the two of them came to their senses, their love would be enough to make them admit how they truly felt for each other? Trowa might have been a fool for letting Quatre leave, but Quatre was just as much to blame. 

The ZERO system and all the crap which followed had ruined Quatre's earlier resolve to tell Trowa how he felt. Duo wondered if Quatre would ever forgive himself for what he'd done. They'd all moved on, even Trowa, but a part of Quatre was stuck in the past, unable to come to terms with facing a part of himself that scared the shit out of him. 

Well tough, life was full of stuff like that. You've either got to get on with your life or let your mistakes dictate your actions. Duo had made far too many mistakes to fall into that trap, or so he kept telling himself. Even if he couldn't follow his own advice, he was determined to ensure his friends at least did the right thing.

It was a tough job, playing matchmaker, but hey, someone had to do it. Damn shame there would be no one to help him and Heero get it together. Quatre might have but would he still want to after today's fiasco? Duo doubted it. 

Damn, he needed to free himself so that this didn't go any further. What had he been thinking? Obviously thoughts he should have never had, considering his current predicament. Duo sighed. He loved Quatre, but not in a romantic sense of the word. Their friendship was deeper than most, but he knew Quatre wasn't the right person for him. No, that particular privilege belonged to someone who didn't have a clue. Sometimes he wondered if the only way Heero was going to get it was if he hung a sign around his neck. 

__

I love you, you idiot. 

The trouble was that a part of him needed to hear it from Heero. He didn't want to be the one to make the first move. Maybe it was because he was scared of the rejection that might follow. The thought of the confusion and dawning realisation in Heero's eyes that his best friend was gay, and wanted to get into his pants wasn't something Duo wanted to face, especially if Heero wasn't inclined that way himself. Hopefully when the time was right, and he'd had more of a chance to draw Heero out of himself…No, who was he trying to kid? In many ways he was just as bad as those people who complained they'd gone through life never living it to the full. They saw what they wanted right in front of them but didn't have the guts to reach out and grab it.

Knowing it and doing it weren't the same thing. 

The same way his body didn't seem to be in sync with his common sense. It was wrong to be turned on by a friend, and even more wrong to take advantage of said friend. Yet both he and Quatre were yearning for what they couldn't have, reaching out for a substitute they could trust. 

Trust? Yeah right. That was a freaking joke. Quatre would never be able to trust him after he admitted what he'd done. Alimah and all her talk about hormones - surely she must have had a clue as to what might happen? Or maybe she didn't know her brother as well as she thought she did. 

It was something he could well and truly relate to. You'd think after fighting together and seeing what Quatre was capable of he would know better, but even though he'd kept telling his friend he didn't buy that whole innocent routine, on some level he still did. Part of him needed to believe that they weren't all tainted by the blood on their hands. 

__

Yeah, but this is a different kind of innocence, he argued. And Quatre was just as scarred by what he'd done as they all were. They just had different ways of coping, or projecting the illusion that they were.

Quatre had more than implied that he and Trowa had a fantastic sex life, and why the hell wouldn't they? A vivid picture entered his mind of Quatre and Trowa naked, their hands exploring, their tongues slipping into each other's mouths in a passionate kiss, under those same bed covers he'd laid on with Quatre earlier. 

Groaning again, Duo's own erection grew harder at the thought. He might as well give up and offer his head on a platter to Trowa now before the former Heavyarms pilot hunted him down and demanded it. 

As though on cue, the door swung open and Quatre re-entered the room. The look of pure innocence on his face made Duo cringe. It was the 'watch out bad guys you're screwed' expression he'd patented so well during the war. The one that was guaranteed to ensure the opposition underestimated him, thinking he wasn't a threat. Few people had survived that look with everything intact, and he hoped like hell that he wasn't about to join them. 

Either Quatre had worked out what he'd done, or he'd come back with the promised supplies. Whatever the case, he was screwed. He just hoped it wasn't about to be literally. 

A sudden flash of bright light hit him in the eyes and he blinked. "What the hell?" Duo focused his gaze on Quatre, surprised to see him lowering a camera, and studying the photo that was rapidly developing in his hand. The blond seemed very in control of himself, in stark contrast to how he'd been before leaving the room. "C'mon, Cat. Untie me." When Quatre didn't answer, Duo added "please."

"I will," Quatre paused, slipping the photo into his pocket, "after I've finished talking." His tone suggested he wasn't about to be argued with. Duo's first take on his friend's mood appeared to have been the correct one. 

"Fine. Look, I'm sorry. I've been an idiot and…" Duo's voice trailed off. Had Quatre realised what he'd done right from the start? No, that would mean he'd played along.

"We've both been idiots," Quatre agreed. "And over a stupid poker game." He leaned in closer, and Duo closed his eyes, not wanting to see the hurt in Quatre's. "Did it ever occur to you that I might be winning the damn game because I'm good at it? I thought you trusted me, Duo. How the hell could you even think I'd use my ability to cheat?" Quatre sighed. "And don't start on the excuses. I know Alimah had a hand in this. The whole scenario stinks of her involvement."

"She was trying to take your mind off Trowa," Duo realised that had been the wrong thing to say as soon as he'd said it. 

"And what did she think I'd feel like afterwards, knowing I'd slept with my best friend? Or wasn't that a scenario the two of you envisioned?" Quatre's voice rose in anger. 

"Don't you take the whole self righteous, holier than thou, attitude with me," Duo decided he'd had enough of this crap. "I certainly didn't see you complaining when you kissed me. Yes, Quatre. When _you_ kissed _me._" His tone changed to match Quatre's. "If I'm hearing this correctly, you were perfectly in control, even though you did a damn good job putting one over me that you weren't." He swallowed hard before continuing, knowing that what he was about to say wasn't something Quatre would want to hear. "I figure for you to come on to me at all you must be a lot more pissed at Trowa than you're prepared to admit even to yourself."

There was a sudden silence before Quatre moved away to sit in the other chair. After a moment in which he studied the carpet under his feet, he finally answered, but his voice sounded subdued. "I am angry with Trowa. And damn it, I have every right to be. I want to believe I'm in a committed relationship with him, yet how the hell can I be if it's only me who is prepared to admit in public that we're together. Duo," Quatre's face flushed, "what I said to you before. Not all of it was a lie. When we're close, I…" 

"So do I." Duo's voice was just as subdued. "I know you're not the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know you're not Heero." He attempted to lighten the atmosphere with a crooked smile. "And I'm not Trowa. But for some reason my body and hormones seem determined to settle for second best." The smile faded. "And I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

Moving over to where Duo was seated, Quatre busied himself untying the other boy's restraints. "I know." Loosening the scarf, his hand brushed against Duo's and he frowned, removing his hand a little too quickly. "Duo, I don't mind that you're…" His voice trailed off into an uncomfortable silence. 

"It's not just me having problems reconciling my heart and my hormones, right?" Duo continued the conversation. "I know I wasn't the only one reacting to what we were doing before. You're a good looking guy, Cat. And I'd be lying if I said being close to you physically doesn't turn me on, even though I know it shouldn't. It was wrong of me to try and use your empathy against you."

"Yes, it was." Quatre grew quiet for a few minutes. "But I went along with you because a part of me wanted to be close to you." He sighed. "I miss Trowa so much it hurts, and I guess you were right. Being annoyed at him is not an excuse to…" Duo didn't have to be an empath to feel the guilt. "I love him, but over the past few weeks I've started to wonder if maybe I'm chasing rainbows, that maybe it's one sided." His friend shrugged. "Obviously the brat I once was is still alive and well."

Duo couldn't help but laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Brat?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Quatre confirmed. "I didn't have a very high opinion of myself when I was growing up, and if it weren't for Rashid…" He rolled his eyes. "You might have tried to take advantage of me, but I didn't exactly put a stop to it when I should have." Quatre's voice shook. "It would have been so very easy to go further. Yes, I was in control, but where do you draw the line between harmless flirting and something else?"

"Would you have kissed me if you'd known for certain that Trowa returned your feelings, that he was willing to commit to your relationship the way you want him to?"

"No, of course not." Quatre didn't hesitate in his answer. "The problem isn't that I find you attractive, or even that you find me attractive. It comes down to trust. I thought you trusted me, and I guess I went along with the charade knowing I could trust you to stop before things went too far. Or maybe it's not you I don't trust, but myself. When Trowa and I make love, I find it hard to distinguish between his emotions and my own. I could feel my lust and yours merging in much the same way, and it was hard to fight it."

"Hey, you weren't the only one," Duo insisted. "I knew what we were doing was wrong, but it was harder to stop than I thought it would be. And cut the crap about not trusting yourself. Of all of us you're probably the one who has it the most together."

"No, I'm not," Quatre shook his head again. "There's a lot about me you don't know. A lot you wouldn't want to know." There was fear in his eyes as they met Duo's. "I still wake up screaming at night because of what I did. I'm not sure I'm ever going to be free of that."

Duo shrugged. "Join the club. Gundam pilots anonymous. Once you forget what you've done, you might as well give up. The memories never disappear, Cat, they just get to the stage where you can live with them." 

"I want to believe you, but," Quatre's voice dropped to a whisper. "I think they're getting worse. There's too much blood on my hands. Everyone has to be accountable. What gives me the right to think I can just walk away from a war without consequences? It's not realistic."

"No, but it's survival." Quatre still didn't seem convinced so Duo kept pressing his point. "I trust you, Quatre, the same way you trust Trowa enough to know he loves you, and that there's a reason he's behaving the way he is." His eyes narrowed when Quatre sat down again, folding his arms across his chest. 

"And what if I don't like the reason? Maybe that's why he doesn't want to talk about it." Duo had to give Quatre some credit, when he decided to be a brat, he certainly knew how to immerse himself in the role. 

"Do you really trust Trowa as much as you say you do?" He decided to try different tack.

"What sort of question is that?" Quatre unfolded his arms and his knuckles grew white as he gripped the armrest on the chair. "Of course I do." 

"There's no 'of course' about it." This was obviously a sore subject. "If you trust him why are you angry with him? Why are you so angry with yourself?"

Silence.

"Well?" Duo was tempted to place a comforting hand on Quatre's shoulder, but because of what had almost passed between them he wasn't sure that was such a great idea.

"Because I'm scared he's not feeling what I think he is. I'm worried he…" Quatre glanced up at Duo, tears in his eyes, before continuing quietly. "I love him with all my heart, but what if it's only one-sided? What if he no longer wants to be with me but can't find the words to tell me?"

"Yeah sure," Duo hesitated and Quatre raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to tell you this but,"

"What?" Was that fear on Quatre's face? Oh shit, he'd better get this over with before his friend got the wrong idea. 

"I saw the way Trowa stayed by your bedside after Libra. He was so scared he was going to lose you, and the look on his face was one of a guy who thought he might lose the person who meant everything to him. Trowa loves you, Cat. If there's one thing I'm sure about, it's that. There's something bothering him, yeah, but it's sure as hell not that."

"He never told me," Quatre spoke the words almost to himself. "I hadn't realised he'd stayed with me. Yet somehow I think I knew it hadn't been my imagination." He didn't explain further and Duo didn't press it, instead putting it down to that weird empathic link Quatre had spoken about between himself and Trowa. Had Quatre sensed the presence of his future lover even in his unconscious state? 

"It wasn't," Duo reaffirmed quietly. 

"I need to talk to him, don't I?" Quatre's forced smile was wistful. 

"Yes, you do, and the sooner the better." Again Duo fought the urge to offer the physical comfort he knew Quatre needed. But he wasn't sure how Quatre would react if he did. Hell, he wasn't sure how _he_ would react. 

"Duo?" The concern in Quatre's voice was difficult to miss. Even with all this crap going down regarding his and Trowa's relationship, Quatre didn't hesitate to put his own problems aside. 

__

He can sense I'm uncomfortable being close to him, Duo realised. For a moment he'd forgotten about the empathy. "Cat, I don't think it's only you and Tro who need to talk." He paused, the room filling with a sudden awkward silence, after Quatre nodded in reply, but waited for Duo to continue. "Look, we're friends, right?" 

"Yes," Quatre looked up at him, his smile turning to puzzlement. "And?"

"We need to sort out how we feel about each other. This isn't the first time I've reacted to you like this. Nor is it the first time I've fought the urge to get closer than I should and kiss you senseless."

Realisation dawned. "When we were crawling through that ventilation shaft? [1]" Quatre blushed, and Duo remembered wondering if he'd been the only one affected by the close vicinity. "Duo, you weren't the only one fighting urges that day. The kiss we shared before we escaped, I won't lie by saying I didn't enjoy it."

"Yeah, that kiss was pretty damn good, right? I know it's one I'm never gonna forget."

"Me neither, but…"

"It was a kiss between friends," Duo interrupted. "I still remember what you told me afterwards," Duo waited for Quatre to repeat what he'd said all those months ago.

"I said that a kiss can sometimes convey more than words. That you were a friend I value and care about, that we have something special between us, but we weren't the right person for each other, at least not in this lifetime." What Quatre said next took Duo by surprise. "Do you want to sleep with me?"

"Huh?" Duo shook his head. "Do I look like I have a death wish? That man of yours has access to sharp knives. I like you, Cat, but I want to keep all my parts in working order in case I ever get up the nerve to tell Heero how I feel." _Or better yet, he tells me that he feels the same way before I have to make the first move. _

"That's the same way I feel. I like you, but I don't want to sleep with you. The only person I want to make love to is Trowa," Quatre smiled, before reaching out to take Duo's hand in his own. "What I said then still holds true. I'm going to have to trust you that we don't put ourselves in a position to let this happen again, the same way you're going to have to trust me to do the same. The reason I let things get this far is that we've always been comfortable around each other, and I knew you'd stop before the situation got out of control. And that was wrong because if we hadn't, it would have been as much my responsibility as yours. Our hormones might want to settle for second best, as you put it, but our hearts don't. I know mine doesn't." 

"Sounds good to me," Duo squeezed his hand. "And as you say there's a fine line between flirting between friends, and giving into what you shouldn't." He pretended to frown. "Damn, I suppose that means no more kissing?"

"Yeah, I suppose it does," Quatre's eyes twinkled. "At least not with each other. Trowa and Heero though, now that's a whole different ball game. Did I mention what a good kisser Trowa is?"

"Yeah, but I lost count after the first hundred or so times," Duo laughed before attempting to pull his hand out of Quatre's grasp. To his surprise Quatre didn't relinquish his grip. 

"It's okay," Quatre reassured him. "Just because we're setting a few boundaries doesn't mean we're not comfortable enough with each other to want to be physically close, like this." He winked. "I promise I won't try anything."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't," Duo countered. "After all there's Heero to contend with. You definitely don't want to get that guy jealous." Oh shit, where had that come from? Maybe his hope for their relationship wasn't as dead as he'd thought it was. 

"In my culture," Quatre explained, his tone growing shy as he ventured onto a topic he'd never mentioned before, "it's acceptable for two good friends to hold hands and enjoy each other's company without necessarily being in a relationship. Even friends of the same sex." His smile faded. "Unfortunately though, homosexual relationships are frowned upon. Things aren't as rigid as they once were, even a hundred years ago, but I know there are certain um, more traditional members of my family who aren't going to view my relationship with Trowa in a very favourable light."

"Well you don't know until you tell them, right?" Duo took the opening and prodded Quatre back towards what they'd been discussing before. "Same way you don't know how Tro's going to react until you ask him."

"No, it's not the same. I'm not as naïve as people like to think I am. I'm well aware that I can't expect much in the way of support from most of my family regarding my choice of lifestyle," Quatre sighed. "But you know, I don't care. As much as I love my family, if it comes down to a choice, they can take the Winner family fortune and shove it up their arse." He laughed. "And you have no idea how good that made me feel saying that."

"I can guess," Duo told him. "Hey, I'm going to hit the shower. I need some time to think, and it's the perfect place to do it in." He winked, unable to resist the urge to tease, and knowing after what they'd just said, Quatre would be okay with it. "I'd offer to share, but I suspect you'd prefer someone else's company." 

Quatre smirked. "Yeah, showers with Trowa are much more satisfying than anything you could offer." He rose to his feet, turning to speak again to Duo before opening the door. "I'm pleased we're okay. I value your friendship too much to lose it."

"So do I." Duo began gathering his clothes. There was no way he was going to give the domestic staff an eye full. "And you and Tro will be okay; hang onto that thought."

"I hope so," Quatre smiled, closing the door behind him. 

A few minutes later Duo was wandering nonchalantly through the hall which connected the living and sleeping areas of the mansion, hands in his pockets, whistling the tune Quatre had sung to him earlier. Even though he doubted he'd ever hear it again without remembering what had happened, a part of him still wanted to retain that memory. His feelings towards Quatre hadn't changed, and he doubted Quatre's had towards him. That saying was so true – once you stopped looking you might as well be dead. It was a good thing that the proviso of looking but not touching only applied to Quatre. Now, Heero Yuy, he was a whole different ball game. He grinned, thinking about the fantasy of Heero playing striptease just for him. Maybe one day, he'd turn that into reality. Heero down to his boxers, now there was a mental picture he could get attached to. After all, the guy had one amazing ass.

Boxers. 

Oh shit. 

What the hell was Quatre planning to do with that photo? Quatre had been angry when he'd slipped it into his pocket, but surely now they'd sorted stuff out it would be easy enough to retrieve it. Duo didn't like the idea of a photo of himself tied to a chair and clad only in boxers lying around where someone might see it. The idea of explaining the context in which it was taken to either Heero or Trowa was one he liked even less. Unless that was why Quatre had taken it in the first place, to persuade him to talk to Heero? No, surely even Quatre couldn't be that devious. 

Who was he trying to kid? Of course Quatre was that devious. Duo detoured, changing his route so that it took him past Quatre's bedroom. As he approached, he couldn't help but overhear his friend's voice. "I miss you too, love." There was a pause and a low chuckle. "Are you sure? It wouldn't do for Cathy to come in and find…" Another pause, as Trowa obviously interrupted. "Yes, you're right, it usually does make me feel better." Quatre laughed. "Good choice of words. Do you want to start or shall I? And this is much more fun without the visuals." 

Were they about to do what he thought they were? Duo could understand Quatre's need to hear Trowa's voice, but surely…He shook his head, and moved out of earshot quickly, trying to distract his imagination from the journey it was attempting to embark on. Maybe that shower had better be a cold one. 

And the photo would definitely have to wait for another time. There was no way he was going to interrupt his friend now. Quatre needed this, and so did Trowa. 

A thought crossed his mind and he grinned, wondering what Quatre's last poker hand had been. [2] One thing was for sure, he was going to be more than prepared for the next game. The grin turned into a snigger. Heero and poker, now there was a scenario with distinct possibilities.

~Fin~ 

[1] Refers to events in an earlier story in the 'Outlasting Time' arc called 'Missing Pieces' which can be found here – http://www.angelfire.com/ab7/shadesandechoes/missing1.html 

[2] Would you believe another straight? I dealt the poker hands played in this fic, and Quatre was quite right. He was winning without using his empathy. Got to love luck of the draw. 


End file.
